County enters federal aid program

McPherson County commissioners signed an annual agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation during a county commission meeting on Tuesday, entering the county into a federal aid program.

Staff Reports

McPherson County commissioners signed an annual agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation during a county commission meeting on Tuesday, entering the county into a federal aid program.

A program run by the Kansas Department of Transportation allows Kansas counties to exchange federal funds for state funds. In this way, counties can exchange and use state funds for county road projects that are otherwise unable to use federal funds, due to federal regulations.

Within that is an option to exchange or keep those funds. The rate of exchange under the agreement is set at 90 percent of state funds for 100 percent of federal funds.

In McPherson County’s agreement, about $286,000 in federal funds will be retained per year. If exchanged for Kansas Department of Transportation funds, the amount available to the county would be approximately $257,000 per year.

Federal funds banked by the county will go towards pre-approved bridge projects.

Tom Kramer, public works director, said that if federal or state funds are not sufficiently available to the county at the time the project is ready, the county may have to wait for the next federal budget cycle to receive banked dollars.

In other business:

• Commissioners approved a bid of asphalt crushing by Heartstone for $510 per ton.

• Commissioners approved of disposing of old county records. The county attorney will review old county records and determine the possibility of discarding any non-current records.

• Artie Stripe, with the Central Kansas Conservancy, invited commissioners to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Meadowlark Trail. The ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the trail head on Moccasin Road.